by P. S. Power
They ate in silence, with Troy seeming a little concerned, but he didn't worry about things too much, in the main, which was one of the great things about the man. That and the fact that he'd taken care of Zack when he'd been having problems functioning at all, making sure he wasn't on the street long after most people would have cut him loose, just for their own protection.
"Well, I'll keep an eye out and try not to let our home be invaded by crazy girls." It was about all he could do, other than hope that she wasn't an agent of Xenses sent in to get him. That would make sense, wouldn't it? Using someone unbalanced to do the work like that?
Or not. He just didn't know enough about how the guy worked to make guesses like that. It was probably just some girl that wanted a little extra time and happened to be off her rocker. Zack could commiserate with that, so tried not to judge.
Instead, after doing all the dishes again, to keep the whole place clean and tidy, he set out to the Sunshine Bakery. He went the long way again, having plenty of time to get into work that day. After all, there weren't a lot of people that needed to go to the meeting still and of those that did, like Bey, he already knew they'd be willing to work with him. The Shifter leader was coming in that morning, Jahn, but that was all really.
Zack had been assured that Mr. Samson would not be bringing his wife and that all his aides were at least willing to fake not being bigoted anti-Human a-holes. True that had been back when the man had thought he was a Human, but if he showed, it might not be that bad.
The shop was open and no one had put up twenty layers of warding against him, just a simple ward line around the outer perimeter. It flashed a bit, when he crossed it, but didn't do more than that. It seemed to be responding to the new level of energy he was carrying, from the slight feeling of resistance.
It got an armed Ginny to run out of the back, her face set and eyes slightly wild looking, and Erin to follow along, holding a large wooden paddle. They both stopped when they saw him though and relaxed, which was incredibly strange.
Erin explained.
"The ward line tripped, which should only happen if we come under attack. I guess that, since you don't seem to be shooting fire or holding a battering ram that it isn't the case?"
"Not so much. I just came for more donuts? They went over pretty well yesterday. I think that I'll grab an extra two dozen today?" He dug out the cash for it, and waited while they both worked to put it all together for him. On a whim, he asked Ginny something, since she'd been the one to call Lisa up after all. It made a bit of sense to find out what she'd said.
The dark skin woman, her face slightly round looking, but mainly from bone structure and not fat, shrugged.
"That got weird, fast. I told her that you'd mentioned being a Greater Demon and how you were going to go and tell her about it. Then she freaked." She didn't seem to be lying, but when the cash got handed to her, he let his fingers touch hers ever so slightly, and focused on reading her.
That made things a lot more clear suddenly.
She hadn't said that he was coming to her exactly, being flustered and still a bit scared, thinking that she'd end up his sex slave by morning. Ginny had said that Zack was coming for her.
Smiling a bit, he left, almost able to make sense of things then.
Chapter eighteen
The work day was rocky and filled with annoyance, even before he got a chance to do more than walk in the door. Not huge, Earth shattering upset or anything, just a small problem that would have gone unnoticed if he hadn't been carrying five large boxes of donuts. The back door was locked and when he kicked at the door, no one came to let him in. Sighing, he walked around the building, so that he could try at Yoghurt World.
That actually worked, which was an improvement at least. Lenore smiled, and didn't seem baffled at all however, just waving behind her, to show that Bey was there, waiting calmly with his luggage, sitting in the back of the shop by their Node. The furniture had been replaced, instead of just fixed, and was all in a durable brown leather now. It had been lighter before, but still nice. Except for the fact that some of it had been torn apart, because of him. Twice.
His girlfriend didn't make him wait to explain at least.
"The Mages are temporarily cutting ties with you. This is coming from on high, not locally. They rather foolishly have decided to dump the entire embassy on Robert and Lisa, not even keeping young Jennifer on, since she was technically hired by you, and, as Bob mentioned, you can't be a Guild member, not being a Mage." She looked worried, and for the first time in over a day, Mirror Him actually came out, snarking right out of the gate.
"No shit? Go figure, people don't love the Demon boy. Well, we should have seen it coming. I bet I know who's behind this."
Zack was willing to hazard a guess himself, but kept his mouth shut, taking back over again. It was kind of comforting to hear that MH wasn't just going to be hiding all the time from now on at least.
"So..." Zack let himself feel bad for a few seconds, then caused a feeling of energy and boldness flow into himself. It was better than self-pity, if nothing else. "I'm going to eat some donuts, and then go make a nuisance of myself with anyone here that will listen. If the Vampire Council hasn't decided to ban me too?" Okay, so he sounded a little bitter, since he'd functionally been fired from his job, without notice at all. "Then I'll see to getting everyone where they need to go."
After all, it wasn't Bey's fault that the Mages were listening to Eric Weise, was it?
Lenore looked at the fried food and wrinkled her nose a bit, but didn't offer him a healthier alternative that day. She did explain however, since she hadn't started a fresh batch of culture the day before, not needing one with the very light traffic she'd been having that way.
"Not a problem, apparently. I need to eat so much that vitamins and minerals are kind of a given, I guess. Anyway..." There just wasn't a lot to talk about and Bey smiled, but settled into his chair and sipped at some warm water, checking out the surrounding area using his hyper keen senses somehow.
It was early still, and Zack had a key to the front door of Candles and More, even if he didn't need it really. He could have just walked in, but after he finished nearly two dozen donuts, he left the rest on the counter with Lenore and knocked on the door very politely, using magic to make certain he didn't get all that upset. It wasn't good, but it also wasn't Bob's doing. Lisa probably hadn't helped, but that wasn't his problem at the moment.
It was the Ambassador himself that came to the door, with a rather plainly dressed and bedraggled Lisa standing behind him. Her eyes shone and she was clutching a weapon of some kind. A blade that had energy worked into it. It was fresh work, but he could tell what it was supposed to be. A Demon killing knife. It was in the old memories that he'd gotten from the Librarian, along with the fact that it wasn't for his kind of Demon at all, and would do no more to him than any largely silver blade would. It wasn't a real point, since Bob stood in her way and she stayed a good fifteen feet back.
"Zack..." At least the man looked upset about things and wasn't calling him names or cringing away in fear. Then he had sort of helped save the man's wife from cancer. For free. It should help him realize what he was really dealing with. "I don't know what you've heard?"
"That the Guild is trying to get rid of me? That they decided to do it on the say so of Lisa's dad. Probably after she freaked him out last night by calling and falsely claiming that I wanted her soul? Which," He called out passed Bob so he was talking to her directly. "Is ridiculous. The only thing I want from you Lisa is for you to go and get off drugs again. I can't believe you did that. Not over something this stupid." It was frustrating, so he had to take a bit and master that part of things, as she stammered something at him that barely made sense.
"You tricked me into letting you in. There's only one reason to do that. I trusted you... You made Deidre leave me."
He blinked and didn't hide his shock at all.
"I made her leave? What are you talk
ing about? I met her one time. I think it might just have been the drug use and the fact that you kept acting ashamed of her that did it, don't you? I mean..." He stopped and shook his head. "You know what? Never mind. My point here is that the Guild shouldn't listen to her or her father in this, and I know that they will. It's..." Throwing up his hands, he turned and just walked away, getting that most of the rest of the day wasn't going to be much better. He heard the door close behind him, then lock.
It was a statement, more than a way of keeping him out, he figured.
Trying to keep his mood up, he went to visit the Shifter's next, because of all the groups in the Mall, they tended to be the most annoying, so it wouldn't bother him half as much when they yelled at him or acted like he'd come to collect some slaves.
The moment he got inside the place, Calley was on him, her face...
Pleasant and professional. It was actually a nice change, to tell the truth.
"Zack! Jahn and his people are coming from the airport right now. I heard that you're still taking people in to the meeting? That's nice of you. I also heard from the Mage Guild that they're being a bunch of whiny little girls? 'Oh, poor us, the big bwad Demon that never asks us for anything twicked us! Damn him and awl his hawd werk!' It would be funny if... Nope, it's just funny. Catherine is busy hiding from you right now, but you can use our Node, if you need. We may not be perfect, but we won't forget who we owe." The Bat girl pushed her glasses up, and the others moved around them, which would have been menacing, except for the slightly nervous smiles.
"Thanks. I was thinking I might, I don't know, see about getting a store front and maybe starting my own place?" He had no clue what would be needed, but something might come up, right? They had three places that were just sitting there after all that would work.
That got an appreciative look from one of the men in the back, who from the warping of space around him could turn into something very large. He looked Asian, and had a hard look to his eyes, like a gang member, more than a guy that worked at a mid-priced casual-trendy clothing store.
"Probably a good idea anyway. People were starting to think the Mages owned you. This way you can show them that you stand for yourself. There are people that will be willing to travel with you, Greater Demon or not, or make bargains for things other than their souls, if they know you aren't going to just do what your wizard masters tell you." It sounded aggressive, and MH laughed, getting it first and actually sharing with him again.
'He's pushing you, so you can show that you're who you've been saying all along. Dragon I bet. Not a match for an adult... one of... like us, but you're not up to taking him in a fight.'
It was helpful, so Zack just nodded.
"It's still kind of sad that they're flipping out now, or at least a few of them are, but I think that you're right. If anyone get's an idea about what kind of shop to open, let me know? I'm just going around checking in with everyone and trying to find an excuse to practice lying. It's sort of a training assignment, but I haven't done it yet." It was too much information, but everyone laughed, as if he were telling a joke. "The herb shop next, I guess."
That went better, since Wu-Li, while a Mage, was also so old and powerful that he didn't bother with the Guild most of the time, and surprisingly didn't seem worked up at all about what Zack was.
"I knew. From the first event, when we met and went to aid Rebecca. I could see the energy pattern within you, and also understood that you either wished to hide what you were or did not know, so I attempted to aid you in that. I've seen enough to know that those of your blood are all different, and it is not impossible for them to be friendly, if treated well. Not common, but not without precedence."
Zack was glad to hear it, and didn't even blink when the man jokingly tried to hand him a package for Master Yang, who was halfway across the world. It was at a Nexus, so he took it and gave a nod.
"Not a problem. Nice talking to you. Later Dan!" That was Wu-Li's apprentice, who had worked the whole time, but smiled and waved when spoken to. It was almost like they thought he wasn't going to soul rape them or whatever it was the Lisa suspected.
That got a weird response from MH.
'You know... That's probably about what she thinks is going to happen. She let you in... I think... I think she actually has a crush on you, and since you have that inconvenient penis, she figures now that it meant you were working that old Demon mojo on her. It sort of explains the Deidre comment. That's just a theory, she might also just be a trippy loser that wanted a reason to get back on the uppers.' There was a low chuckle and then a considering bit of actual good advice. 'You should call your grandparents and Maddy Morse, get them to check on her. She might be being a bitch, but she gave you work when you were starving and no one else would hire you.'
Zack... had to agree. He owed something of a debt there, didn't he? A real one.
The Alede tried to all run away to the back of the place again, and he wasn't planning to follow them, but Kaitlyn walked out, her thick black rimmed fake glassed pushed up and her brown hair in perfect curls. She pushed her chest out, and Zack noticed that she did that really well, but made himself ignore it, since her t-shirt and jeans sort of meant that she wasn't actually on the prowl and probably wouldn't be for him anyway. He wasn't food.
"Hey." She sounded subdued, but not scared of him, so there was that.
"Hey." He returned the greeting and then looked into the back of the place, his eyes probably a bit sad. "So, why do I feel like it's that part in the movie where we talk about our feelings and how, even though I kissed Jenny at the dance, it was only because I was upset that you were blowing Dave behind the gym?" It was way off topic, but she nodded.
"Except that I was really just helping him with his algebra so he didn't get kicked off the football team and had dropped my eraser, giving you the wrong impression? That scene?"
Zack smiled, meaning it and clapped her on the arm, getting hit with her entire existence all at once. It made it clear why she was the one standing there and not her mom at least. The "school" she'd been at was a hellhole, and they'd planned to kill her, but it was worse than she'd let on. She'd been moments from killing herself to stay out of that place, when Zack had said that if there was no other way, he was taking her and running. Then Keeley had come and cowed the Ruling Body into backing away from the death order they had on her, which never happened.
If she had to be his slave or minion for that, she counted it as being only fair. So far, the work hadn't been that bad at all. It wasn't lost on her.
"That's the one. I wonder what movie that's from?" It wasn't, but it was so close in theme to thousands of them that it was hard to tell really.
She touched him back, her hand staying for a longer time on his arm than the other way around.
"Anyway, do you plan on making us all your little Demon girlfriends or whatever?" She said it loud enough that the rest of them could easily hear her, Zack was sure.
"Nope. Slavery is illegal in the U.S. and most of the rest of the world. I'm announcing my strong stance against it, even if I can't do anything about the other Greater Demons that have them, and won't. The whole not wanting to die thing? I should make up a poster or something. Anyway, you heard that I'm thinking about a store? Any ideas?"
There was a moment's hesitation and then she smiled and waved.
"Why not come and tell him that? It's still just Zack. You're all being really rude to him too."
That only got the one person to come out, a good looking man that was blond and tan. He looked like he belonged in GQ as an example of how not to look as ugly as most of their grungy models and seemed to be working very hard to prove that. The man held out his hand, but Zack didn't bother to get the download from him. That would probably be disconcerting. He was already blocking out how much more sex Kait had each week than Zack had managed in his whole life.
"Glen. I was just saying that we could use a nice book store. Maybe with a small cafe in the back? Or front
. A trendy little place with ferns that will be a destination site for people looking to use their brains? Bookstores are dying out and most of the big box places are fading fast, but a smaller place, one that carries a good selection? That might work. It would give you a reason to have people in and out all the time too." He looked hopeful for some reason, one that Zack didn't get, but Kaitlyn did.
"Ah... The old coffee bar scam. Good one. Get Zack to put a little space in with a sofa and some chairs, that can be locked from the inside and we could use it for entertaining." She nodded as if he might have missed the reference. "Sex. This place isn't horrible that way, but it's way easier to get men to have sex with a hot woman, than for a good looking man to seduce the ladies. At least in the numbers that we need to do it. If we had two places we could go to here, it would really open things up."
Then, as if he weren't standing right there, they started planning it all out. The big expense, after the initial remodeling, which they didn't want to stint on, would be getting two of the larger spaces, side by side, which meant being on the lower level, between Candles and More and The Chasm. That would give them plenty of space for it and leave Zack a Node.
Glen waved at the space that they'd want, or at least in the right general direction.
"You won't even have to run it. We can do it and hire some other people from here. The Shifters had the right idea, you being tied up with the Mages made it seem like you were theirs. This way, if we diversify, we can have a lot of different groups involved. It might even get some of them to relax, about the whole Demon thing. I mean, it isn't like you're the only one here, is it?"
Zack didn't get his meaning, but the others had started to walk out, slowly, as if they were squirrels and he'd been scattering food, but they weren't really ready to believe it wasn't a trap yet.
